Releasing device for door-latches.



C. R. BRUNNAGKER.

RELEASING DEVICE FOR D O LATGHES.

APPLIOATION FILED M 1913.

1,070,402, Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

IN VENTOR.

UNITED s1 res CHARLES R. BRUNNACKER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOB T0GLAES AND LEI-INBEUTER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ACORPO- RATION OF MISSOURI.

RELEASING- DEVICE FOR DOOR-LATCI-IES.

Application filed March 24, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES R. BRUN- NAOKER,Citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Releasing Devicesfor Door- Latches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in releasing devices fordoor-latches; and it consists in the novel details of construction morefully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a conventional form ofice-box or refrigerator having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 isan enlarged face elevation of an ice-boX wall and door thereof (brokenaway) showing my invention applied thereto; Fig. 3 is a horizontalsection on the line 8-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side view of the doorfastener with my attachment applied, the door being in vertical sectionon the line 4- 1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 isa rear face view of the ice-boxwall showing my attachment in position; and Fig. 6 is a detail showing amodification of the manner of mounting the locking handle or lever toits supporting pin or bolt.

'T'he present improvement is specifically directed-to releasing devicesfor door-fastenors or latches on refrigerators and iceboXes, and has forits object to provide means whereby a person locked in the refrigeratorintentionally or by accident may loosen the fastener from the inside ofthe refrigerator and thus regain his freedom. Suchfa device is speciallydesirable on refrigerators in bar rooms, grocery stores, restaurants andthe like where the proprietor or attendant is often held up by burglarsand highwaymen and forced into the refrigerator and the door closed andlooked after him. To enable the person so confined to regain his freedomin time to avoid the evil effects of his enforced incarceration, is themain object of my present invention. The advantages thereof will be bestapparent from a detailed description of the invention which is asfollows Referring to the drawings, B represents Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Serial No. 756,552.

the outer casing of a conventional ice-box or refrigerator, and D thehinged or swinging door leading to the icecompartment C as wellunderstood in the art. In the present embodiment of my invention, Iillustrate the conventional Condit fastener composed of a handle lever 1which is fastened at one end to the outer end of a rotatable pin or bolt2 mounted in the casing wall adjacent the door I), the inner end of thebolt being screw-threaded and carrying a nut 3 engaging the inner faceof the casing-wall, a washer 4: being preferably interposed between saidnut and the me tallic sheet lining a of said wall. The outer end of thebolt passes through a casting or plate 5 provided with a lug 6 whicharrests the lever 1 when the latter has been swung upwardly to full openposition. Mounted adjacent the free edge of the door is a cam or keeper7 which the member 1 engages when swung to locking position, the camformation Z) bringing about the necessary frictional contact between theparts to insure the handle remaining locked or in fastening engagementwhen swung its full limit across the keeper. The door is furtherprovided with a handle H by which it may be readily manipulated.

My invention provides the necessary means for loosening the nut 3 by theperson confined in the ice-box, such means being as follows :Engagingthe nut are the jaws 8 of a wrench 9 provided with an elongated slot htravel-sable by a pin or the stem of a screw 10 driven into the casingwall, the upper end of the member 9 terminating in a lip or finger-hold11. Then the jaws S embrace or are in engagement with, the not 3, thescrew-stem 10 bears against the upper terminal of the tapering slot it,the wrench thus suspended or mounted serving as a nut-lock andpreventing the turning or loosening of the nut. The nut being thus keptagainst turning, it follows that in the performance of its legitimatefunctions the bolt 2 may be rocked back and forth (with the fasteningand unfastening of the door) for an indefinite period, without danger ofworking loose the nut. In the event, however, a person is locked insidethe refrigerator by a robber, burglar, highwayman, or by accident, heseizes the wrench 9 by the lip 11, pulling it outwardly or upwardly(when the screw-stem 10 happens to be vertically over the bolt) untilthe head of the screw 10 can clear the sides of the slot h, after whichthe wrench may be removed from its support. To permit of such removalthe slot h is made tapering, the same widening toward the jaws 8, thewide portion allowing the head of the screw 10 to pass through it (Fig.5). The person thus confined then simply uses the wrench 9 on the nut 3loosening or removthe same, whereupon the bolt 2 may be pushed outwardlyfrom the inside far enough to cause the lever l to become disengagedfrom its keeper 7, the lever then falling or dropping under the actionof gravity away from the door, permitting the latter to be pushed openfrom the inside (vertical dotted position of lever Fig. 2). The personso confined can then regain his freedom.

The screw 10 may of course be positioned where most convenient, andwhile I have shown the same vertically over the bolt 2, any otherposition will answer the purpose so long as it serves to maintain thewrench 9 in engagement with the nut 3 until the critical time for itsremoval arrives. Since such times are in the main infrequent, and thereis danger of rust accumulating between the wrench and metal lining a Iprovide the outer terminal of the wrench with a rear ridge or thinspacing rib cl (Fig. 4) which reduces the surface of contact between thewrench and lining a and thus reduces to a minimum the dangerof excessiveaccumulations of rust. This permits the wrench to be readily removedwhen the critical time arrives as the person inside can readily breakwhat rust may accumulate at this point.

It is of course perfectly obvious that the bolt 2 need not rotate; thehandle lever 1 may itself be rotatably mounted on the outer end of thebolt and fastened in any way known to the art to prevent dropping off,in which event the operation would be the same. Such a modification isillustrated in Fig. 6 where the wall of the handle socket carries ascrew 12 engaging a peripheral groove 13 in the bolt 2. In thismodification the handle 1 may oscillate freely without turning the bolt.The first however, is the preferred construction for the rocking of thebolt insures against its sticking in the wood when the critical timearrives.

Having described my invention what I claim is 1. In a door-latch, amember mounted" on a fixed support, a movable door, means carried bysaid member on one side of the fixed support for latching said door,means on the opposite side of the fixed support for securing said memberagainst removal, and

means normally engaging said securing means and adapted to operate toloosen the same whereby the member may be shifted to cause a release ofthe latching means from said door.

2. In combination with a casing wall, a door hinged thereto, anoscillating handle lever, a member passed through the wall of the casingand supporting said lever on theing member on said bolt on one side'ofsaid support, a nut on said bolt engaging the opposite side of saidsupport, a member op-' erable as a wrench removably mounted on the fixedsupport on the side of the bolt carrying the nut, said member beingprovided with means for locking the nut against rotation, for thepurpose set forth.

4. In combination with a casing wall provided with a hinged door, a boltpassed through the wall adjacent the free edge of the door for theclosed position of the latter, a nut on the inner end of the bolt, a

door-latching member on the bolt outside the casing, a member on theinside ofthe casing provided with a pair of jaws for locking the nutagainst rotation, said member being provided -with a slot tapering awayfrom the jaws, and a headed screw carried by the casing wall andtraversing said slot, for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with a casing wall having an opening, a hinged doorfor closing said opening, a latching lever for locking the door, a boltpassed through the casing wall adjacent the opening and supporting saidlever on the outside of the wall, a nut on the bolt on the inside of thecasing, a member engaging the nut and serving as a nut-lock therefor,said member being detachably secured to the inside of the casing wall,the nut-locking portion of the member servingas a means for turning thenut upon the removal of the member from the casing wall.

6. In combination with a casing wall, a bolt passed through the wall, anut on the inside of the casing mounted on the bolt, a latchingmembersecured to the bolt on the outside of the casing wall, a wrenchmounted on the inside of the casing wall and engaging the nut to lockthe same, and means on the casing wall for supporting the wrench andpermitting movement thereof to and from the nut.

7. In a door-latch, a member mounted o a fixed support, a movable door,means carried by said member on one side of the fixed support forlatching said door, means on the opposite side of the fixed support forsecuring said member against removal, and means on the same side withthe securing means engaging the latter and detachably secured to thefixed support for removing said securing means, whereby the member maybe shifted to cause a release of the latching means from said door.

8. In an ice-box, a bolt passed through the wall thereof, adoor-latching lever at one end of the bolt on the outside of the box, anut on the bolt on the inside of the box,

and a wrench detachably mounted on the 15 inside of the box and providedwith jaws engaging the nut and serving as a nut-lock, for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES R. BRUNNACKER. Witnesses:

EMIL STAREK, FANNIE E. WEBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G.

